Does that very thought of doing something different send you running for the hills?

Imagine if your ministry started using Facebook ads to share the Gospel.

Does that thought scare you, simply because you don't know how to do that?

What if your church just got back from Quito, and you have some amazing stories to share? It would be a wasted video to play it just once inside your sanctuary.

God's given us all of the tools we need NOW to reach billions.

What do you already do on a regular basis that you could turn into an MVP? Video is an easy answer. What else?

What are you not crowdfunding right now that you could be crowdfunding to grow your ministry?

Reread the parable of the talents.

This 3-Part Post Is Just Too Long

Now get the .pdf so you can study without an internet connection.

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Crush doubt, fight fear and passivity, and create with the King of Kings!

You should be looking to:

Build orphanages

Build churches

Create Spirit-breathed media

Feed 10,000 in Haiti

Build a shelter downtown

Give all of the teachers at your local high school gift cards

Share the Gospel with 2 billion (yep - BILLION)

And more

The part in the parable of the talents that is less obvious is that it is Godly to take what He has given you, and take INITIATIVE.

Yes, it's always good to listen to the Holy Spirit.

But God won't always give you a thundering "GO MY SON, AND DO *THIS*"

Sometimes, you're expected to be fruitful with what the Master has trusted you with.

Back in October, Church Films launched an entire campaign called Encourage My Life (or EML), and we took it to Kickstarter once we had some byproducts from the campaign:

A 3-week encouragement challenge

A mentorship inventory that covers 14 areas of mentorship in our lives

A 3-month goal and prayer journal

Silicone bracelets that read "Be Encouraging"

I want you to do the same: create a byproduct from your current series.

Then crowdfund it.

Don't pass it through 20 different layers of red tape. Jump straight to the person (if that's not you) who makes decisions and take a leap of faith after doing your homework.

We are a small team of volunteers (i.e. less than 10).

You are a part of a church or a church ministry, which usually boasts more than 10.

So quit your lip service.

Bury your excuses.

Trust the King of Kings with the talents He's entrusted you with.

Pull out your pen and paper, Evernote, or Google Docs.

And get to creating!

BONUS: I have a painfully exhaustive 8-step crowdfunding worksheet for you at the end. You need to know TO THE DOLLAR what amount you need to raise for your crowdfunding campaign.

Have your cohort go over the campaign before hitting the launch button.

That first step can be a doozy for people.

To create a GIF, keep it simple:

1. Create a video and avoid lots of dynamic range (lots of shading) - keep your image to a few flat colors where possible.

2. Take your video into Photoshop.

3. Use the Save For Web option.

4. Select the GIF 64 No Dither option and leave the settings alone.

5. Hit the save button and tell your computer where to stash the GIF file.

6. Even with a savvy Macbook Pro, creating a GIF can be as slow as Christmas. BE PATIENT if it is slow.

Good copy, a few GIF's, a video you can put your name to, a few rewards, and links back to your website - these are your meat and potatoes for Kickstarter.

Every crowdfunding platform is different. And there are MANY to choose from. Kickstarter is the biggest.

But it may not be the niche you're looking for.

I learned of Seed and Spark today for indie filmmakers.

I still think Tilt is a good option for a nonprofit and certainly a church ministry because you can raise funds for either for FREE.

FREE.

If you use Kickstarter, here are the three key areas you will need to pay attention to when adding muscle and bone to your campaign:

1. If you are indeed a nonprofit, you will need to disclose your EIN.

2. They will want your bank account info - they have to deposit the funds when the campaign wraps up. This can take 14 calendar days.

NOTE: Your bank will then drag their feet releasing the funds. This can take another 7 or more days - remember, banks get interest-free loans on your cash - headsup.

3. Kickstarter had a breech in February of 2014. CNET had this to say about it:

As with anything, be wise as serpents, gentle as doves...

...

When I hit the launch button, I had a backer within minutes. He was a serial backer on Kickstarter.

Three people on the Bold Nation newsletter ultimately backed the project - and the Bold Nation was the first to know about it.

That's what you will do too - let your audience know about it first before going public with your campaign on social media, and only AFTER you have validated a real desire to fill a need or solve a problem with your audience.

Assuming you have validated your idea, remember your audience. They've stuck with you through thick and thin - they should know about any early deals first.

I had three backers from the Bold Nation because I didn't validate the journal with them.

LESSON: DON'T CREATE SOMETHING THAT YOUR AUDIENCE DOESN'T WANT.

I learned the hard way - give your audience what they want.

Listen to them.

Create your MVP with them and for them.

Then go to a crowdfunding platform and let them know about it.

Whatever platform you choose, you will find that there are people already there that want to support your project, especially if it is a niche idea.

Now you know what to do.

You'll need to crunch numbers at some point.

I put together a detailed, 8-step worksheet for you to calculate your crowdfunding goal. Get your copy here.

I want to encourage others and bring honor to the Almighty in everything that I do with film and video. My goal is to take the first 11 minutes of my tv pilot and seek out decision-makers who can further the conversation about developing it into a show. If my team and I can do that, then we can teach 100,000 other microbudget filmmakers how to do the same thing so that we might tell stories of hope to millions. In the meantime, I'm a son of the King, a family man, a lifelong student of film, and the author of two microbudget filmmaking books.